


Grackles and Goldfinches

by daisypush



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Birth, Blood, Dissociation, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Infanticide, Mental Health Issues, Nonbinary Character, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-25
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-15 05:43:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3435620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisypush/pseuds/daisypush
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their body worked while their mind was far away from where they were, undulating and writhing and bleeding all over the wood floor. They were yowling in pain but couldn't hear themself as they felt their stream of consciousness spill away from their body, and instead flow among the black birds' chattering outside.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Grackles and Goldfinches

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote a warrior cats story for the second option of [this prompt](http://ailuronymy.tumblr.com/post/111643752614/writing-challenge-of-the-day)
> 
> Threefoot is nonbinary and uses they/them
> 
> you can read this on my tumblr [here](http://obscureblur.tumblr.com/post/111906244506/i-wrote-a-warrior-cats-story-for-the-second-option)!
> 
> ps: quean = queen  
> dowt = clan

It was daybreak, late spring. Sunlight poked through the spaces between the abundance of half-eaten leaves of oak trees. Whistling and twittering erupted from the goldfinches among the asters as they competed for food. Nearby, a building stood, swarming with creepers and ivy, which covered the opening of a broken window. Beyond the broken glass of the window lied a black cat, who let out a yowl that scared away the goldfinches.

Threefoot heaved, collapsing to the floor. They weren't ready. They weren't ready yet, they couldn't give birth now. They tried to get up on their feet to move to a better, more fitting place for this, but it was difficult enough to get up with only one front leg without the searing pain of birth.

They tried calming down, tried to remember what Cloverflower told them to do but their mind was racing and thoughts were replaced with the noise just outside the broken window; the goldfinches had hesitantly come back, and were promptly chased off by the _ooo whew whew whew_ of the approaching grackles.

Their body worked while their mind was far away from where they were, undulating and writhing and bleeding all over the wood floor. They were yowling in pain but couldn't hear themself as they felt their stream of consciousness spill away from their body, and instead flow among the black birds' chattering outside. Some of their dowt mates were no doubt close by -- they all lived in the old building and surrounding glade -- but knew to not disturb a quean giving birth, for fear of further inducing stress, especially in their unsheltered position. The high amounts of stress associated with giving birth ran in their family; the cat who had given birth to Threefoot had eaten most of a sibling of theirs and bit off most of their front right leg before calming down enough to stop the infanticide. They were lucky to be alive.

Threefoot had come back from the outside world, not knowing how much time had passed when a fragile mewl had caught their attention. Parental instinct hazily took over, and they were half conscious of their fervent licking of the black kitten, it's mewling getting louder and more urgent. Awkwardly, they picked it up with their trembling jaws and pushed it near their belly. Their body still rippled as they lied down, sweating on the warm wooden boards.

When they were slightly more conscious of what had happened, they looked down at the single black kit suckling at their belly, and were thankful that it was only one. It's black fur mirrored their own. The harsh _crewhewwhew_ reminded them of the black birds that they were just among outside. After a few minutes, they mumbled,  
"Gracklekit."


End file.
